T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER — MEMBERS1st Community Credit Union was officially awarded “Juntos Avanzamos” designation by Inclusiv prior to the beginning of Sunday’s Festival Cultural at West End Park in Marshalltown. Pictured from left to right are: Inclusiv Puerto Rico Network Director Lcdo. Rene Vargas Martinez; Iowa Credit Union League Vice President Jaimie Miller; MEMBERS1st CEO Nick Tonelli; and MEMBERS1st Training Coordinator Brenda Rodriguez.

Pedro Rodriguez is thankful someone was there to help him with his financial needs 20 years ago.

His experience is one of many that exemplifies MEMBERS1st Community Credit Union recently receiving “Juntos Avanzamos” designation, which was officially awarded on Sunday prior to the start of the Festival Cultural at West End Park in Marshalltown.

“They gave me an opportunity to start with a loan,” Rodriguez said. “We always need money for something, but I’m glad they were there for me every time I went to their offices.”

Inclusiv, a group which strives to increase financial independence to low- and moderate-income people through credit unions, awards “Juntos Avanzamos” (“Together We Advance”) status to credit unions committed to serving Hispanic and immigrant consumers with safe, affordable and relevant financial services that help those communities navigate the U.S. financial system.

Among other factors, Juntos Avanzamos credit unions employ bilingual staff and leadership, accept alternative forms of ID and treat all members with respect, regardless of immigration status.

MEMBERS1st CEO Nick Tonelli accepted the award on behalf of the credit union, presented by Inclusiv’s Puerto Rico Network Director Lcdo. Rene Vargas Martinez, with MEMBERS1st staff also in attendance.

“For many years, our credit union has served the Hispanic community,” Tonelli said. “But in the last few years, we’ve made a commitment to better serve Hispanics and then began working with Rene to discuss what the credit union is currently doing and what we can do in the future to improve. … We’re here today to celebrate, and we could not have earned this designation without the support of our board of directors and the efforts of our employees.”

Other community members shared their experiences with MEMBERS1st; Joa Laville, Youth Services Manager at Marshalltown Public Library, praised MEMBERS1st for partnering with the library to offer financial literacy programs, and collaborating with Immigrant Allies as a community partner for their efforts to serve immigrants and refugees in Marshall County.

“I know many people that have been empowered to buy their first car or their first home qualifying for a loan at MEMBERS1st,” Laville said.

Maria Gonzalez, an organizer with Immigrant Allies, shared her story about coming to Marshalltown with her family in the 1990s.

“One of the first people I met was Yolanda from MEMBERS1st,” Gonzalez said. “Making that connection with her was an opportunity to build a relationship with someone outside of our family, and now I go in with my own family to get the same help.”

MEMBERS1st joins 134 Juntos Avanzamos credit unions in 28 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.